Parents' Faith Fails to Save Diabetic Girl

March 27, 2008

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"Our perspective is pretty straightforward and clear — if the surgery involves the transfusion of blood or a major component of blood, such as plasma, then we look as it as contrary to what is stated in scripture," J.R. Brown, the spokesperson for the Jehovah's Witnesses World Headquarters in New York, told ABC News in December. Beyond that restriction, Jehovah's Witnesses can make medical decisions on a personal basis.

In November, a 14-year-old Jehovah's Witness in Washington State diagnosed with leukemia refused a blood transfusion that could have saved his life, a decision upheld by a judge. The teen died shortly after a judge denied an emergency request by the state to mandate the transfusion.

The Everest Metro Police Department will work with the Marathon County District Attorney's Office to determine whether charges should be filed in the death of 11-year-old Madeline Kara Neumann.